Don't buy in to stereotypes of aging

Yes, you're getting older, and there's nothing you can do about that. But you can do something about acting as if you are old and allowing society to impose limitations on you.

When people are expected to perform worse, based primarily on society's misconceptions or prejudices about those who are older, they do, in fact, underachieve. This psychological concept, known as "stereotype threat," has been supported by numerous studies. For example, researchers have shown that girls who are told they are not as good as boys in math and science underperform on tests in those subjects.

A new study from the University of Southern California's Davis School of Gerontology tested the theory on older adults. Researchers studied 112 people ages 59 to 79 and concluded that stereotype threat can significantly impair how older adults perform some tasks.

In the study, one group read articles focusing on age-related memory decline. The other group read articles that described how memory can be preserved and improved with age. When both groups were given memory tests, the participants who read about memory decline did poorer.

Sarah Barber, the study's lead author, said the results can be attributed to older adults buying into stereotypes about aging. "You know that if you do badly, you're going to confirm a negative stereotype," she says. "You tend to live up to that and do worse than you would have done otherwise." Her study also noted that while memory declines often accompany aging, negative stereotypes about aging "can exacerbate these deficits."

Barber, who received her PhD in psychology at Stony Brook University, says older adults sometimes go into a "prevention mindset" because they are afraid any mistake will reinforce the stereotype they are old and declining. "If you're feeling that you're being evaluated because of your age, your natural inclination might be to get very cautious, trying to avoid mistakes," she says. "But that's actually going to lead you to do worse."

Barber's study also found that older adults -- even those facing ageist stereotypes -- did better in tests when they were told that wrong answers would lead to a monetary loss. Because an error would mean there was something to lose -- literally -- the "old age" mindset became less of an issue, which helped their performance.

The take-away from the study: "Make sure you're not going too much into this prevention mindset," Barber says. "You need to be focused on doing your best, not just worried about avoiding mistakes."